


It Wasn’t Supposed to be This Way!

by SummerReign



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s03e24 Abyssinia Henry, Final Thoughts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerReign/pseuds/SummerReign
Summary: What Henry may have been thinking as he boarded his flight home from South Korea.
Kudos: 7





	It Wasn’t Supposed to be This Way!

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake strolled across the airport headed for his flight that would take him out of Korea for the final time. He had just finished his tour of duty as the commanding officer of the 4077th MASH unit and was anxious and excited to be going home. He couldn’t wait to see his wife and children’s faces and hear their voices and hold them in his arms. He was especially excited to finally be meeting his newest son, born just a few months after he was shipped off to South Korea. He was looking forward to walking into the local country club with Lorraine that Saturday night and surprising their friends and neighbors. He had survived all that the Korean War had thrown at him, and now he was finally going home! 

As Henry boarded the plane, he thought again about the men and women he left behind at the 4077th. He hated the circumstances of how they all wound up working together, but he had to admit that he was glad that they all could have been part of each other’s lives for a bit. He thought of Hawkeye and Trapper, great surgeons and fine men. They hated being there, but still did their jobs and did them well. He thought of Klinger and his crazy Section 8 schemes and smiled. Truth be told, Klinger was just too fine and dedicated a soldier in their unit, even though he, like most everybody else there, wished to be as far away from the war, devastation, and death as possible. He thought of Mulcahy, the camp chaplain who was always a calming presence and a rock to everybody in the unit, regardless of whether or not they showed up for his Sunday services. He had to admit that he would miss Frank and Margaret a bit too. As difficult as they were to deal, he had sensed deep down that both were unhappy, troubled people and he hoped that they would find the peace and happiness that he honestly did believe that they deserved. Last, he thought of Radar, the kid whom he had taken under his wing and became a surrogate father to him. He would definitely make sure to stay in touch with Radar. It wouldn’t be too hard seeing as Ottumwa, Iowa was only a few hours away from his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois. 

He also thought guiltily of the women whom he had affairs with. He had realized during their forced extended separation that he really did love and miss her so much. It wasn’t fair to her to have a husband whom she had to unknowingly share. He decided right then and there that Lorraine was the only woman he would ever love and need for the rest of his life. He would devote himself to her and the kids. He decided too that he would quit drinking. He’d even go to a few of those AA meetings too. He decided too that he wouldn’t go back to work right away but instead would take his family on a vacation so they could spend some valuable time getting to know each other again. Boy, he couldn’t-

What was that loud bang? Why is the airplane shaking? Why are people screaming? What’s going on? Henry managed to look out the window and gasped. The plane’s wing had been shot and they were now spinning downward towards the Sea of Japan. 

There was no way out.

There was no chance of escaping.

Every person aboard that plane was going to die. 

HE was going to die! 

There would be no happy family reunion. He wouldn’t get to hug his wife and kids and hold his new baby boy. There would be no hero’s welcome home for him. He would never get to watch his children grow up and have children of their own. He and Lorraine wouldn’t get to grow old together. He’d never see Radar or Hawkeye or any of his 4077th comrades again. He’d survived so much in Korea, only to be killed on the way home. He had to chuckle at that irony. He would never get to-

He cried out, “Lorraine, I am so sorry! I loved you and the kids so much! It wasn’t supposed to be this way!” and closed his tear-filled eyes one last time as the plane hit the water and everything started caving in around him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I thought I’d try writing another fanfic, even though I’m really not that great at writing.


End file.
